Italian artist Lorenzo Dominesco has shared a new set of artworks on his ArtStation portfolio, presenting Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, recreated with the Unreal Engine 5 workflow. The recent pieces expand on a previous fan tribute that explored Jolie in Lara’s iconic outfits from the original 2001 film and the classic Tomb Raider games. In these latest works, Jolie is depicted as Lara Croft from the 2003 film The Cradle of Life and features an isolated outfit inspired by a mission in Tibet from Tomb Raider 2. The project combines multiple industry tools, including Unreal Engine 5, Substance 3D Painter, ZBrushCore, DaVinci Resolve, and Maya to build the three dimensional models and render the scenes with cinematic lighting and texture accuracy. The focus is on achieving a high level of realism while preserving the recognizable character design that fans associate with the franchise feel and cinematic legacy. This approach highlights the artist’s ability to translate a well known on screen presence into a 3D environment with modern production techniques and a strong sense of character fidelity. The work showcases how contemporary pipelines can reinterpret classic likenesses through cutting edge software and faithful costume details, while maintaining respectful homage to the source material. The artist emphasizes a workflow that balances creative interpretation with precision in model topology, texture work, and lighting to deliver immersive, gallery worthy pieces that resonate with both Tomb Raider fans and general audiences who appreciate digital artistry. The results reflect a growing trend in fan art where original movie characters are reimagined with current generation tools, offering new angles on familiar scenes and outfits. The use of UE5 enables realistic lighting and dynamic environmental effects, enhancing the perceived depth and scale of the scenes, while Substance Painter and ZBrushCore provide texture richness and sculptural detail that bring Lara Croft’s likeness to life in a way that feels tangible and cinematic. The project invites viewers to explore how modern game and film production pipelines facilitate the reimagination of iconic characters in personal portfolios and independent art projects. A broader look at this trend reveals how artists integrate game engines with professional 3D software to craft convincing, high quality fan art that blurs the line between fan creativity and professional production values.
Lara from the 2003 movie:
In this set, the depiction centers on Lara Croft as portrayed in the 2003 film, drawing on the directorial and costume choices that defined that installment. The artwork emphasizes the practical exam style of Lara’s wardrobe, with careful attention to fabric texture, wear patterns, and the way the suit interacts with lighting and shadow in a cinematic frame. The render showcases detailed seams, weathering, and the character’s poised readiness for adventure, all reproduced through a careful blend of high resolution sculpting and texture painting. The result is a vivid interpretation that captures the essence of Jolie’s performance while presenting it in a three dimensional, stadium set like composition that invites closer inspection of every stitch and contour. This interpretation is grounded in a disciplined workflow that prioritizes fidelity to the film’s aesthetic while leveraging modern digital tools to achieve a museum quality presentation. The work stands as a tribute to the iconic heroine and a demonstration of how fans can explore alternate visualizations of beloved characters through state of the art software and rendering techniques. The piece resonates with collectors and enthusiasts who value both character fidelity and the expressive possibilities offered by current 3D pipelines. The artist notes a commitment to technical accuracy and visual storytelling that invites ongoing dialogue about how classic characters can be reimagined for contemporary audiences. (VG Times)
- Rendered portrait with high fidelity textures and realistic materials
- Dynamic lighting to evoke studio quality cinematography
- Accurate garment details reflecting the 2003 film wardrobe
Lara from Tomb Raider 2:
Another branch of the study focuses on Lara Croft as she appears in Tomb Raider 2 along with the Tibet mission outfit. Here the artist explores a slightly more adventurous silhouette, preserving the character’s iconic silhouette while updating materials and textures to modern standards. The Tibetan mission look is rendered with careful attention to weathering, leather textures, and utility gear that defines Lara’s readiness for exploration. The work demonstrates how a single costume design can be interpreted through new technology while maintaining the story elements that fans recognize. The environment and lighting are composed to emphasize depth and scale, supporting a narrative feel that complements the character’s action oriented history. The artist combines sculptural detail and texture layering to produce a convincing three dimensional result, balancing fidelity to the original design with the expressive capacity of current rendering tools. The project serves as a showcase for how classic cinematic outfits can be reimagined in a contemporary 3D art pipeline while preserving the emotional impact of the source material. (VG Times)
- Cosmetic and structural fidelity to the 2003 Lara look
- Realistic fabric and leather shaders for depth
- Scene composition that emphasizes adventure and exploration
Previously a free game titled Tomb Raider Reloaded was released on Android and iOS. A viral video showing a magical wand with spells inspired by Harry Potter circulated widely online, sparking conversations about cross franchise reinterpretations. These developments illustrate how touchpoints from movies and games continue to influence fan art and mobile gaming culture across platforms. The broader conversation around these reinterpretations highlights the ongoing interest in seeing beloved characters reimagined through new technologies and accessible pipelines, reinforcing the vitality of the Tomb Raider legacy in digital art communities. (VG Times)
Sources: VG Times